Chris Miller leaves South Eugene for West Linn

Chris Miller is taking his football job closer to his other work opportunities.
The former University of Oregon and NFL quarterback resigned as head football coach at South Eugene to take over the same position at West Linn High School. Miller led the Axemen to a 2-8 record last year in the first season of his second stint at the school.
Miller said he was contacted by West Linn after coach Mike Fanger resigned and decided the location near Portland was better for his career.
He coaches at Football University camps in the Portland and Seattle areas and flies out of Portland for national camps. He plans to do some broadcasting work in Portland during the football season and he has private training for kids in the Portland/Vancouver area.
“I have about three other forms of making a living and the location was key,” Miller said. “The timing was right.”
Miller turned around South Eugene’s football program during his first stint from 2002-06 as the Axemen went 31-21 and reached the playoffs in four of five seasons, including a trip to the quarterfinals. The Axemen haven’t made the playoffs since his first tenure and had won two games in three years before he took over this season and led the Axemen to back-to-back wins to open the season.
“South Eugene has got the greatest kids in America,” Miller said. “The parent group was good to work with and they have a good schedule next year.”

Read more in Thursday’s Register-Guard.

Steve Mims covers Oregon football, men's basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. He has been a sportswriter at the paper since 1999 and covered high school sports while also reporting on Oregon football in the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl as well as men's basketball during their Elite 8 run in 2007 and trip to the Sweet 16 in 2013.